


Closer Encounters

by lauraloo77



Category: Limitless (TV)
Genre: Angst, First Kiss, Fluff, Intervention, M/M, Pizza, Reimagining, TW: Drugs, a combo pack, newly discovered feelings, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 13:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6807298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauraloo77/pseuds/lauraloo77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After working the case together, Boyle realizes that now might be a good time to come clean about his feelings for Brian. And when Brian's family calls for an intervention, Boyle comes along to show support and ends up having a lot to say about the consultant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Additional + rewritten scenes from 1x17 Close Encounters. Also I guess 1x19 A Dog's Breakfast would take place differently now.  
> I actually adore this ship more than I let on, and when I saw this episode I really needed SOMEONE to be there for Brian. And then I had a dream, and this thing came about. Enjoy!

"Hey, Brian."

Brian turned around to face Boyle. He was caught off guard.

"Pains me to say it, but, uh..."

 _Oh, boy. What did I do now._ Brian thought.

"It's not the worst thing, huh. Us working together?"

 _Well, that wasn't what I expected at all._ Brian was surprised by this statement. Him and Boyle have had their ups and downs. All those months ago he practically demanded that Boyle start showing him some respect. Maybe this was his way of doing so. Regardless, Brian loved it, and shot the man a grin.

"Nah, I guess not. Anyway, I'm gonna go home, man."

Boyle seemed a bit disappointed by this. He was hoping to come clean about a few things to Brian, and tonight seemed like as good of a night to do so as he was gonna get. And to Boyle's aid, Brian didn't really want to go home. He sure as heck didn't want to go back to the CJC after this mess. He was actually hoping someone like Boyle would give him an offer of somewhere to go and something to do.

"Well, hey, if you don't want to be alone, you can come over to my place. We can order a pizza, maybe hang out or something. If you want, I don't know-"

"Pizza? That sounds great. Let's go!"

Boyle smiled. He had no idea what Brian really thought of him. He was hoping tonight he could shrug off that buzzkill vibe he was no doubt giving him after the Casey fiasco. After all, the first time Brian came over to his place was when he asked him for more respect. He never meant to show him any disrespect, after all, he was harbouring a secret crush on the consultant. But in terms of his work ethic? That respect needed to be earned on its own. Today was a great start.

While driving to Boyle's place, Brian asked, "How's your mom doing?"

Boyle hesitated to answer, "Actually, I - uh - finally put her in a home."

"Jeez man, I'm so sorry." Brian's sentiment was very genuine, and Boyle nodded at him. 

"I guess I was just delaying the inevitable. But I try to visit her as much as I can."

Something about this sentence struck a cord with Brian, who hasn't been visiting his family nearly as much. He checked his phone for updates from Mike and Ike about his family; they had nothing to report at that time. 

They arrived to Boyle's now empty house and Boyle got on the phone with a pizza place. Brian was very excited about the pizza, but was also intrigued to see how Boyle acts when he's off duty.

"Well, I've got wi-fi and a very small selection of video games."

Brian's eyes widened. " **You** play video games. Seriously?"

Boyle chuckled, "Yeah. Growing up, Super Smash Brothers on the N64 was my game, but as an only child I wasn't able to get the full enjoyment out of that game until I got a bit older and had to make real friends and invite them over."

Brian gave him an approving look. Boyle added, "Of course I have it for the WiiU now, as well. I only have like, two other games but you're the guest, you can decide."

"I am so going to own you at Smash Bros." Brian loved that game, and he too was well versed in the N64 version growing up with two brothers and a sister who was eager to show that she could fit in with the boys.

 

\--

 

The pizza finally came and many rounds of Smash were played. Boyle decided to let Brian win consistently, only to unleash his full potential later on, breaking his confidence. They talked, mostly about work and growing up, they actually had some things in common, and had the prospect to become great friends. Only Boyle was interested in something else.

"Listen, Brian, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

 _Uh oh._ In actuality, Brian wanted to come clean to Boyle as well. About the extra NZT, his relations with Morra, mostly so he wouldn't hear it from Rebecca first. He'd let Boyle talk for right now, though. "Ok, what's up?"

"I don't exactly know how to say this but...", he trailed off, clenching his fists. Boyle noticed Brian wanted to say something too; he kept biting his lower lip. "Do you have something you'd like to tell me?"

"Oh, no, it can wait." Brian was more eager to hear from Boyle.

"Please, Brian, if there's something you want to say, then say it."

Brian relented. "Alright, fine. After all this great work we did together today, and this really fun, unexpected evening we partook in, I figure you have the right to know." Boyle looked concerned.

"Senator Morra and I have been sort of working together. He's been giving me extra NZT and an immunity booster shot in exchange for me helping him out with information and..." Brian mumbled the next bit of info, "light evidence tampering." Brian kept going with more specific details.

Boyle was shocked. He fell into the couch a bit and looked up at the ceiling, trying to maintain whatever composure he had left. On one hand, this is alarming news. He has basically been betraying him and lying to everyone for months. The man he was basically falling in love with had this whole other life. And on the other hand, he trusted him enough to tell him now. He was still trying to do the right thing, despite the circumstances. He was basically put in this awful position from the start, and he still maintained his morality throughout. Boyle's head was swimming with doubt as he was now questioning everything he thought he knew about Brian. However, the only logical thing he could do in this situation was stand up from the couch and start pacing. 

While on paper this revelation seems like this could drastically change his feelings for the man, he was actually respecting him more and more for it. And it actually made him like him more, and made him want to share his feelings more.

"Look, Brian, I really appreciate you telling me about this. It couldn't have been easy to keep hidden."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"I understand the position you were put in was not easy, and you may have done things you regret and would not have otherwise done." Brian nodded in agreement.

"And for that, I respect you...in fact, I -"

Boyle couldn't finish the thought. Brian tried to get more out of him, "You...what?"

"I..."

Boyle had it. He walked back over to him, pulled him up from the couch, and planted a kiss on him. This was a firm kiss. Boyle was cupping his cheeks and slowly moved one hand around the back of his head to feel his luscious hair (one of his favourite traits about Brian). It lasted for nearly a minute before Brian pulled away abruptly, smiling.

"Wow! Let me tell you, I was _not_ expecting that!" They both laughed.

"Brian, I like you. I mean, I _really_ like you. And if you weren't so damn stubborn and sometimes immature-"

"Hey!", Brian interjected. "I thought this was a declaration of love, not a time to point out my obvious flaws."

"...If you'd let me, I'd love to take you out to dinner some time. You know, like on a proper date."

"You mean pizza, video games, and spontaneous proclamations of harsh truths isn't how a _proper_ date goes with Spellman Boyle?" Boyle was turned on by the tone of voice Brian used to say that.

"That sounds great. I really like you too." They both smiled and Brian initiated another long kiss between them.

 

\--

 

Brian's phone starting buzzing, finally ending that kiss. "Sorry, it's Ike, I have to take this." Brian walked a little bit away from Boyle.

"Hey Finch, I just thought you should know that your mother and sister look very upset about something. Your dad is trying to avoid them. Mike and I don't really know what to do, but, maybe you should come here?"

Brian gulped. What could they possibly know? He turned to look at Boyle, "Hey man, Ike thinks I should go to my parents' house. They seem a bit rowdy and they don't know why. Is that okay?"

Boyle sighed. "Yeah, sure, of course. I'll drive you."

"You don't have to come with me. I'm a big boy, Boyle."

If Brian wasn't so damn attractive, Boyle would've slapped him. And that's the whole problem, isn't it. "Please, Brian-" Boyle started walking back over towards Brian. He hung up the phone after saying, "We'll be there soon.", not breaking eye contact with Boyle, who seemed to be very troubled by some of the events that took place tonight.

"I'll come with you. If your parents found out anything about what you told me, if they know anything about NZT...this is too big a thing for you to face alone."

Brian really appreciated this. When he started telling his family bit by bit about the FBI, he never had anyone there to support him and reassure him that he's doing the right thing and saying the right stuff. Brian accepted the change and said, "Alright. Thanks."

For the whole car ride there Brian looked nervous. Boyle would occasionally catch him staring at his phone, gulping nervously, and would hold his hand tightly. Brian liked how Boyle's hand felt intertwined with his own.

Finally, they arrived at the Finch household. Mike and Ike were still there, looking utterly exhausted. Cameron was just leaving as he warned Brian with the same thing Ike told him. "Hey, if I were you, I'd turn around now."

"What? Why?" Brian played dumb, wanting to know what Cameron specifically had heard.

"I don't know what's going on, but I definitely heard your name. So run while you can." Brian turned to look at Boyle, both of them looking nervous. They walked over to Mike and Ike, who seemed confused by Boyle's appearance.

"Boyle drove me.", Brian said, quickly shutting down whatever other questions they were going to ask and anything else they might have wanted to know. Boyle was fine with this too, as he was not ready to tell anyone about his lip-locking session, and it appeared Brian wasn't either. Plus, they had more important things to worry about. 

"Oh, you brought another one with you." Dennis didn't look too pleased. He was more worried about how Marie would act, after finding the NZT, he knew there was going to be some kind of big talk.

"This is Agent Boyle. I work with _him._ "

Boyle extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, sir." Dennis looked at the hand and didn't reciprocate. Ike whispered in Boyle's ear, "Don't bother, already tried that." Boyle put down his arm.

Brian walked into the main dining room and announced, "So, what's going on?"

"Sit down, Brian.", Marie demanded.

"Okay. That sounds ominous." Brian went to go sit down, joining Marie, Dennis, and Rachel at the table.

 

\--

 

"We can leave, if you'd like." Ike said, on behalf of him and Mike.

"I'd like to stay. I drove Brian here, and I'm interested to learn more about his family. Unless I'm not wanted, that is."

"You can all stay.", Dennis answered. Boyle pulled up a chair behind the family, Mike and Ike preferred to stand.

"Mom? Are you okay? What's all of this about?"

"You know, Brian I always knew that you had something special about you. A good heart. You were sensitive, you cared about other people. Even if you were being impulsive, even if the things you were doing looked selfish on the face of it."

Boyle was saying, "Here, here" in his head. This is the boy he loved.

"I believed in that light that was in you so much that, uh, I let a lot of things slip by. Finding pot in your jeans when you left them out for me to wash as usual."

"Mom, come on-" Brian was embarrassed, Boyle shut his eyes for a second.

"No. Let me finish. I figured that we would find some kind of balance, you know? Your father would give you discipline, some structure; I would give you room to run so you could figure things out. And I honestly thought that's what was happening to you now. I thought, maybe he's finally figured it out. Ugh. What an idiot I was."

"Come on, Mom, you-" 

"No. What the hell are these?" Marie pulled out Brian's 2 spare NZT pills Rachel swapped from his apartment. 'Oh boy', Boyle thought. Things were about to explode. But he was going to be right there with him, supporting him through this.

"Geez." Brian couldn't be more vulnerable.

"You want to tell me about them? Because your father won't. We've been married for 42 years and there has never been a single thing that we could not discuss. So whatever these are must be serious."

"Dad."

"Oh, no. This is between you and your mother." Brian was really hoping for some leeway.

"You brought this into our home."

"No, I didn't." Brian was firm. He turned to Mike, Ike, and Boyle and repeated himself, "No, I didn't."

"The moment you got your sister into this, you did. Leaving these pills lying around, having her come to that safe house that you have been mysteriously given. You put your sister in danger."

"No, I haven't."

"Undercover agents coming over, bleeding out on the kitchen table."

'Sands'. Boyle remembered what Brian told him. He almost revealed himself, but Mike and Ike were looking at him, so he had to go back to being just as confused as they were.

"Rachel."

"Brian, no." His mother was making it impossible for him to get any help.

"I am not turning a blind eye anymore. I don't know what these pills are. I don't want to know. And I don't want our family any deeper in this than we already are."

Mike walked over to the table and grabbed the NZT. Him and Ike looked at each other, very confused, and slightly angry. They turned to Boyle, who had to pretend like he didn't already know about this, so he just copied their emotions. They whispered, "Did you know about this?" "No, how could I? Did you?" "No!" "What undercover agent? Did we send someone to the safe house?" "I don't think so." "Why does he have NZT?" "What's going on?" 

Boyle knew they'd ask too many questions and he'd end up saying the wrong thing. He told them to go work on it and figure it out some place else; he'd take of Brian. So Mike and Ike left, and Boyle remained in his living room.

"Mom, I can't tell you everything, but I can explain-" 

"Brian, no. I don't want any more excuses. Because unless you start making some different choices, you are not welcome here. I love you, Brian, but just - no."

Brian leaned back into his chair, shocked, hurt, bruised, and broken. This was the last straw for Boyle. It was time to come clean and plead on Brian's behalf.

 

\--

 

"Look, ma'am, I know I'm not at liberty to speak on behalf of your parenting and the way you talk to your son. I'm not a parent myself. But let me offer you something else right now. Your son has been a part of something great. The work that Brian has been doing for the past few months has been extremely beneficial to society. You say you saw a light in him, and that you knew he was a special person. That is true. Your son has a light inside of him the likes of which I have never seen in anyone else before. And I have served in the armed forces, so believe me when I say, I have seen true heroism. But Brian has truly dedicated himself to the cause in ways I can only call brave. And this drug you saw, well, I can't tell you everything about it either. But I can say it is merely just an outlet, just a way that we can ensure that your son fights the good fight. He is special without it, he is smart without it, he is good without it, and he is a damn good consultant even without it. But on this drug, he is able to do extraordinary things. So instead of shutting him out, instead of throwing him out of your home, maybe you should extend a hand to him. Ask him about his day, ask him what bad guy is behind bars because of what he did, what family is reunited with their kid because of the work that your son did. He _is_ special, with or without this drug. But with it, working with myself and a team of great, well-trained and disciplined people, he can accomplish anything. Whether or not he would've gotten here without the drug, well, that remains to be seen. But let me tell you, that I am thankful that I have the privilege to work with your son every day. He has taught me new things. He has done so much good for the world. He-"

Boyle figured saying what he was going to say next would be overkill ("He is the man I love and hope to spend intimately more time with every day"). But he couldn't end this big speech like that. The Finchs' eyes were completely transfixed on Boyle the entire time, so he had about another minute before they would need to blink and probably interrupt him.

"He is an amazing person. He works for the government, so there are things he cannot fully explain to you. And you're just going to have to deal with that. If my mother wasn't ill I would have the same guilt every day that Brian has about not being able to come fully clean with her either. Please believe me when I say, he feels guilty. He told us about it nonstop when he first started working. And that guilt isn't going to go away. But I ask, no, I implore you - don't shut him out. Don't send him away when he needs you the most. Brian Finch is one of the best people I know, and I thank you for raising him to be the man he is today. I mean no disrespect by anything I said. And I hope you think about what I'm asking of you. He really does love you all, and sending that love right back would be appreciated."

Marie looked grumpy as heck. Dennis almost fainted, and Rachel was on her phone for some of that. Instead of sticking around to hear any replies to this, Brian wanted to leave immediately. Boyle put his hand out to Brian, who was almost sitting on the floor due to how much he sank into his chair. He grabbed Boyle's hand and they kept holding hands long enough for his parents to notice and for Rachel to tilt her head. Once they shut the door behind him, Brian could only say, "Thank you."

Boyle was beaming, but was also shaking. That was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his life. "I really didn't mean to go on for that long. And I hope they didn't find me rude. I didn't mean to come off that way. I really just thought you deserved _someone_ to stick up for you."

And in that moment, Brian realized just how much he meant to Boyle, and how much Boyle meant to him. This was the first time in a long time where anybody showed him that much support at a time like this. Brian repeated, "Thank you.", and planted another kiss on him, this one being shorter than the first 2. 

"You're welcome to stay at my place for as long as you'd like, what, with your place being flipped upside down." Brian told Boyle about that too. "I'll let you call my house **home.** "

How could Brian refuse an offer like that? Brian nodded, kissing the man once more, and walking back to his car. At that moment, he didn't care about the vigorous intervention that just took place. He didn't care about how Mike and Ike now know about his extra NZT and about Sands. He couldn't care less about his parents yelling, that he could still hear when getting into Boyle's car. All he cared about was Spellman Boyle. The man who just risked everything by opening up to his parents about their jobs, about their lives. The man who just offered his house and home to him. But more importantly, the man who offered him his heart. And he wasn't going to waste a thing like that.

**Author's Note:**

> May or may not write another chapter to this. It depends on you guys; let me know if I should!


End file.
